Terms like “nail sickness” are evocative. Whenever a slate slips off a roof, there is a suspicion that the roof is suffering from this mysterious affliction that brought along by old age. We see our own health decline in old age and assume that buildings do the same.

Whatever the size or complexity of the property, there are somethings that you really must invest in and top of the list has to be leadwork. Lead flashings and ridges are your primary defence against the rain and once the begin to fail, the rest of the building will quickly follow.

Projects can vary in size, from small repairs and alterations to large scale interventions, but in either case commissioning an architect is something the most people are unlikely to do more than once or twice in a life-time.

Tackling our carbon emissions is going to become a key challenge for every homeowner in the years or head. Existing homes have been identified as a target area. A mix of incentives and penalties will make us think about our impact on the environment in new ways. We will need to change the way we insulate and heat our homes.

Getting tenders back for a project can be a strange and unnerving experience. Having spent time estimating the cost of your project before the tenders were issued, it is now time to see what the contractors think. Will it be smiles all round, or cries of despair?

What does a NET-Zero retrofit look like.? 

Net Zero and Retrofit are the new buzz-words that are dominating all branches of government and industry. Net Zero is all about trying to eliminate the Carbon emissions that contribute to global warming. Currently, the energy that heats our homes and the electricity that we use to run our appliances comes mostly from burning fossil fuels. To tackle climate change, we need to reduce the amount of energy we need and then make sure that what we do need comes from a source that doesn't involve fossil fuels.